Humphrey, Allen lead Stanford to 79-70 victory over Bruins

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) Michael Humphrey shoots pre-game free throws to get his shot right. He accomplished that, making every kind of shot known to a post player and a couple more he invented on the spot. It's his free throws that might need work.

''He was a beast. He did a great job, our bigs couldn't keep him in front,'' Bruins coach Steve Alford said. ''He got around our bigs a lot, and then he faced up and our bigs were too far off. We told them ''17-foot range,'' and from 17 feet in he hurt us. He hurt us with catch and shoot, he hurt us with catch and drive.''

The sophomore was 12 of 14 from the field, making shots with guys draped over him, falling down, fading away, from 17 feet out and on putbacks. But he missed all four of his free throws.

''I've been working on my shots and I felt good from the line,'' Humphrey said. ''I felt like I had a good feel for the basket.''

Humphrey recorded the second 20-plus game in his past four and third of the season.

''We think Mike can be an impact player on both ends of the court,'' Cardinal coach Johnny Dawkins said. ''We had to play at a high level and Michael Humphrey was efficient.''

Dorian Pickens, who also hit a key 3-pointer, added 16 points for the Cardinal (15-12, 8-8 Pac-12), who won their fourth in five games.

''Same old stuff. We've got to figure out what we have to do,'' Bryce Alford said. ''As a team, we're kind of a lost cause right now. We're trying to stay together and that's the hardest part.''

Pickens and Allen hit consecutive 3-pointers with the shot clock winding down, giving Stanford a 78-64 lead into the final minute of play.

''Time is precious at the end of a game and we were able to use all 30 seconds and still get a quality look,'' Allen said. ''We were moving the ball really well.''

Humphrey hit a jumper with 14:01 remaining to put the Cardinal ahead, 49-41. The Bruins never let it get much further than that.

Alford hit a 3-pointer from the corner to bring UCLA within 64-62 with just over six minutes left.

Allen scored the next four points and Pickens hit a pair of free throws while the Bruins missed four straight, allowing the Cardinal some breathing room with just under four minutes to play.

Pickens hit a 3-pointer midway through the first half, giving Stanford a 22-11 advantage, the largest lead for either team until late in the game.

The Bruins ran off a streak of 17-4, with Hamilton contributing seven points, over the next six minutes to inch ahead but the Cardinal walked off the court at halftime with a 34-33 edge.

TIP INS:

UCLA: Hamilton is the only Pac-12 player to reach double figures in all 16 conference games. He extended his overall double-digit streak to 25. ... The Bruins are the only team with two players among the top 10 in scoring (Hamilton and Alford) and with two players among the top 10 in rebounding (Tony Parker, Thomas Welsh). ... Steve Alford coached his 800th game (102 at UCLA). ... Bryce Alford exceeded 1,300 career points with his first basket.

Stanford: With the unbalanced schedule in effect, the Cardinal played both Los Angeles schools once this year. Stanford did not travel to Southern California for the first time in 55 years. ... Entering play Saturday, the only current Cardinal players to participate in a victory over the Bruins are Grant Verhoeven and Marcus Allen. ... Freshman Marcus Sheffield remains limited due to a sprained ankle. He's averaging 8.7 points in conference games.